Chutes and laddersby Meredith Farkas

In spite of the fact that I’ve had one of those all-day sinus headaches, I’m walking on a cloud. Starting April 1, I’m going to be the Head of Instructional Initiatives here at Norwich, which means that I will lead and coordinate all instruction (and most assessment) work at the library. I’m also going to have supervisory responsibilities. What’s so crazy is that nearly every job I was interested in elsewhere was just like this. I am so passionate about instruction and it’ll be good to have someone coordinating instruction who is focused both on in-person and virtual instruction. I know instruction is the thing my Director is most passionate about as well, so I really appreciate her faith in me in offering me such an important leadership position. I am really excited about the new opportunities and possibilities that will come with this promotion!

This means that we’ll be hiring a new Distance Learning Librarian who will be reporting to me. I assume we’ll get an ad out pretty quickly and I’ll point to it on my blog as soon as it’s out. I’m so excited at the thought of getting someone in here with great new ideas and a technology skill-set that complements my own. This has really been a perfect first job where I’ve had the opportunity to do a little bit of everything. For someone who has lots of interests and really wants to explore many different areas of academic librarianship (both public services and tech stuff), you could hardly find a better job.

A lot of people have told me that since I’m ambitious I should go work at an ARL. I’m starting to realize that either I don’t know what ambitious means or that ambitious means different things to different people. I think of myself as an ambitious person, but my career goal is not to be the head of an ARL library. I may end up one, but it’s not a goal. I want to blaze trails. I want to do or create new things. I want to constantly be challenged in my job, to know that I am constantly improving services to patrons, and to constantly be moving forward. I want to love my job and to love the people I work with. I don’t speak and write and teach to advance my career. I do it because I really enjoy it. I want to be a manager, not because I want to move up any ladder, but because I really like mentoring and motivating people. Maybe I’ll end up a Director one day, maybe not. Maybe I’ll be a consultant working for myself. Maybe I’ll get a PhD and teach at a library school. Really, as long as I’m earning a decent wage, I’m doing work I love, and I’m in an environment I fit into, I’m golden.

I’ve felt that pull towards other people’s definitions of what an ambitious person like myself “should” do. A major ARL tried to recruit me a while back, and I was so enchanted by the idea of working in an environment like that with really smart people and lots of resources and a tenure track where I could spend one day a week doing research. But I figured out during the interview that I belong in a small library, at least for now. I really like smaller academic libraries. I like that we can make decisions quickly. I like that I get to do a bit of everything. Small doesn’t mean small-minded. We have an incredibly open-minded and change-oriented staff here. Sure, there are times I wish we had more resources and more hands, but it’s rare that I can’t find some way to do the things I want to do, even if it’s not the way I’d ideally like to do it. My personality fits well into an environment like this.

And then there’s the place. I love it here. I’m reading a book called The Geography of Bliss (excellent book, BTW), which explores concepts of happiness in different parts of the world. The people you live around, the environment you’re in… it makes such a tremendous difference. I’d go crazy in a city. I can’t stand strip mall suburbia. Adam and I are really happy here; I feel a peace I’ve never felt anywhere else. I know some people are happy to travel from place to place every few years until they move up to the position they want, but I’m all about the place I live. I’m sure I won’t live in Vermont forever, but I plan to do my best to situate my career in Vermont-esque places.

There is no one way to be ambitious in this profession, and everyone will pursue their career ambitions in different ways. We should all choose the paths that make us most happy. For some, that may be the road to becoming a University Librarian at an ARL. For others, it’ll be staying in the same library all their lives with colleagues they really love being around. I, like most of us, fall somewhere in between. Find the ladder that you want to climb and if it doesn’t go straight up, that’s ok as long as it makes you happy.

It’s been a difficult winter for me for so many reasons. It’s nice to have something to really look forward to in Spring.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meredith Farkas

Meredith Farkas is a faculty librarian at Portland Community College in Oregon and an adjunct faculty member at San Jose State University's iSchool. She is the author of the book “Social Software in Libraries: Building Collaboration, Communication and Community Online” (Information Today, 2007) and writes the monthly column “Technology in Practice” for American Libraries. Meredith was honored in 2014 with the ACRL Instruction Section Innovation Award, in 2008 and 2011 with the WISE Excellence in Online Education Award and in 2009 with the LITA/Library Hi Tech award for Outstanding Communication in Library and Information Technology. She has been writing the blog Information Wants to be Free since 2004.

Although, one thing. You wrote, “a tenure track where I could spend one day a week doing research.” As a tenure-track librarian, I say…hahahahahahahaha. Yeah, if that day is Saturday or Sunday. Don’t let them fool you! (I mean, I love it. I admit it. But there’s no way I could grab one day a week and use it solely for research – it just doesn’t work that way.)

Then again, I’m at a smaller university, so maybe it’s different in the Big Leagues.

And thank you for making a note that not all of us want to become ARL directors – some of us are pleased as punch in the classroom, being practicing librarians. It would be nice if folks considered that just as worthy as bulleting to the top of management.

Colleen is right. One day a week is bunk. You never get that. I applaud you for blazing your own trail in a small library. Being in an ARL is not all its cracked up to be and you mentioned a few of the reasons.

You are going to be great in your new position. Man I wish I could move to VA!

Ah, sounds like justice is served; so I second Dorothea. That big ARL library should’ve known better but then who can blame them for trying. 😉

Defining words for other folks is always a classy way to behave. And if one is driven to do so then at least they could be bothered to look it up in a reputable dictionary and find out that they are really defining other words that are wrapped up in the one they thought they were shoving down your throat.

You have already achieved distinction in your field; now it is up to you (as it *always* has been) to define success for yourself. That you will achieve it I have no doubt.

I have read your blog for quite a while now but never commented. I wanted to let you know that your own journey is so similar to what many other new-ish librarians are going through. Unfortunately, many of us are in institutions that actively discourage making your own path to “success” and do not respect staff’s hopes and ambitions. Those of us in that situation start to feel beaten down, and we start to believe that our goals are impossible and, worst of all, silly. This is why I love reading your blog. You remind the rest of us that work does NOT have to be a stale and stifling proposition. Sure, you need to stay open to possibilities and switch gears when needed, but there ARE workplaces, colleagues, and supervisors who listen and want to work with you to help you get where you want to go. Kudos to you for showing us all what a lot of hope, hard work, and the courage to ask for what you want can do!

Way to go! Best wishes in your new position! I hope this means you will still keep blogging though!

I especially like your comment, “The people you live around, the environment you’re in… it makes such a tremendous difference.” This is so true. We used to live in a huge city and it was a constant rat-race. We are now in a small town, and it is ideal for us right now. Will we ever live in a huge city again? Maybe, maybe not… Who knows what the future holds… what is right for people at one time in their lives may or may not be what they need at another time in their lives. And for you, it sounds like you are right where you need to be!!! Congrats!

Congratulations on your new job! I’ve appreciated your honesty on your blog about your career advancements and the trials and tribulations of progressing in librarianship. It’s wonderful to hear of this new opportunity for you!